Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy Section 3

Objectives Describe the origin and work of the executive departments. Explain how the members of the Cabinet are chosen. Identify the role of the Cabinet in the President’s decisions.

Key Terms executive department: one of 15 major departments in the executive branch, each of which specializes in a specific area of public policy; together they make up the Cabinet civilian: nonmilitary secretary: the title given to the heads of the executive departments attorney general: the title of the head of the Department of Justice

Introduction What is the Cabinet and what does it do? The Cabinet is an informal advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments. It also includes other key advisors to the President. Individually, Cabinet members run their departments and carry out presidential policies. As a group, they advise the President. All the bullets under that first question, should appear animated, one at a time. -KVE

Executive Departments The 15 executive departments are also called the Cabinet departments. The First Congress created the Departments of State, Treasury, and War in 1789. Over time, departments have been added, abolished, divided and combined to meet the changing needs of the country.

Department Secretaries Each department is headed by a secretary appointed by the President. The Department of Justice (DoJ) is headed by the attorney general. The department heads ensure that their departments carry out presidential policy. They also represent the interests of their departments when dealing with the White House, Congress, other departments, and the public. Each department head has many assistants and aides to help with issues such as public relations, planning, and budgeting. Bullets should appear animated, one at a time. -KVE

Executive Departments The executive departments employ nearly two-thirds of the civilian federal workforce. Roughly 80 percent of these employees are career civil servants, not appointees. Nearly 90 percent of federal civilian employees work outside Washington, D.C. Each department is divided into smaller subunits with specific line or staff duties. For example, the Criminal Division of the DoJ is further divided into sections dealing with counterterrorism and narcotics.

Executive Departments, cont. The executive departments vary widely in visibility, size, and importance. The Department of State is the oldest and most prestigious, but among the smallest. The Department of Defense is the largest, with more than 2 million civilian and military employees. The Department of Health and Human Services has the largest budget, accounting for about a fourth of all federal spending. Bullets should appear one at a time. -KVE

This feature will need to be linked to the appropriate Government Online content associated with the feature. Feature Question Answer: Student answers will vary depending upon how they view the challenges facing the United States in future decades. Two possibilities might be a department dealing specifically with senior issues or science and technology. Can the question and caption be rewritten so that it is more readable? I know the image will be enlargeable, but I think some of the text should always show up. It can be summarized, cut down for space if needed. -KVE KRISTEN: We will need access to the original images in order to do any image manipulation.--AR If possible combine this image with the next screen -I’ll provide art files -KVE 11/14

The Cabinet The Cabinet is a vital but informal group that advises the President. Neither Congress nor the Constitution created the Cabinet. George Washington began the custom of meeting regularly with the heads of the executive departments. Add Click to Enlarge feature.

Cabinet Members Checkpoint: What officials are members of the Cabinet? The Cabinet includes the heads of the 15 executive departments. Today, it also includes: The Vice President The President’s chief domestic policy adviser The White House Chief of Staff The director of the OMB Other officials as chosen by the President, often from within the ranks of the Executive Office of the President Checkpoint Answer: The heads of the 15 current executive departments, plus the Vice President, the counselor to the President, the White House Chief of Staff, and the heads of other officials from the Executive Office of the President as chosen by the President. Make the bullets appear one at a time, on clicks. -KVE

Cabinet Members, cont. The President appoints the head of each of the 15 executive departments, who are then confirmed by the Senate. The Senate rarely rejects an appointee. In this photo, the Secretary of Agriculture meets with a New Jersey farmer. Insert image from p. 435. Can this title be “Cabinet Members, cont”

Cabinet Members, cont. Checkpoint: What factors are considered when appointing executive department heads? Party affiliation and influence Professional qualifications and experience Regional background and ties to key issues handled by a given department A desire for gender, racial, and ethnic balance Checkpoint Answer: Party affiliation and importance within the President’s party, professional qualifications and experience, regional background and ties to regional interests, and the gender, race, and ethnicity of the candidates. NOTE FOR TEACHER: The following are examples of the first members of different groups to be appointed to Cabinet-level positions. Frances Perkins was the first woman appointed to a Cabinet position, serving as Secretary of Labor in FDR’s administration starting in 1933. Robert C. Weaver was the first African American cabinet member, appointed by Lyndon Johnson in 1966 to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ronald Reagan appointed the first Hispanic cabinet official, Lauro F. Cavazos, as Secretary of Education in 1988. And Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta became the first Asian-American Cabinet member in the Clinton administration.

Role of the Cabinet Cabinet members have two key roles: To run their respective executive departments To advise the President as a group Insert image of Bush’s Cabinet from p. 439. Add Click to Enlarge feature. The bullets should appear one at a time, on a click. -KVE

Decreasing Importance The importance of the Cabinet has declined in recent years. This is due largely to the growth of the Executive Office of the President. No President has suggested getting rid of the Cabinet, though they may rely more on other unofficial advisers. Insert image and caption from p. 440.

Review Now that you have learned about the Cabinet and what it does, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question. Is the bureaucracy essential to good government?